In an October 18-dated company-wide email, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the resignation of Ray Ozzie, the company’s Chief Software Architect (CSA). Though Ballmer did not mention any specific reason for Ozzie’s resignation, he did state that the position of CSA, which was earlier held by Bill Gates, will not be reassigned.

Trying to cast a positive light on the latest high-profile departure from Microsoft, Ballmer said in the email: “With our progress in services and the cloud now full speed ahead in all aspects of our business, Ray and I are announcing today Ray’s intention to step down from his role as chief software architect. He will remain with the company as he transitions the teams and ongoing strategic projects within his organization.”

Ballmer also refrained from giving any exact date of Ozzie’s departure, which comes nearly a month after Microsoft Business Division President Stephen Elop resigned from the company to take over as the Nokia CEO in September.

As Microsoft’s CSA, Ozzie had been at the helm of Microsoft’s movements into the cloud and social-networking spaces. In October last year, Ozzie announced the creation of FUSE Labs, a unit that chiefly focused on software pertaining to real-time experiences, social connectivity, and rich media.

However, ever since then, Ozzie’s role at Microsoft appeared to be effectively over; and he was, like some other Japanese executives, moved to a back office, and left to do nothing more substantial than collect a paycheck!